The present invention relates generally to the positioning of printing surfaces and printing devices and specifically to the capability of printing on a trailing edge of a piece of paper.
Image forming systems involve a variety of internal components configured to manipulate a piece of paper and produce an image on the paper. Conventional image forming systems are unable to produce an image along a trailing edge of the paper due to physical interference between internal components forming a paper path, e.g. manipulating the paper, and components capable of forming the image. Typically, the unprintable portion of the trailing edge may be up to approximately 3 cm, thereby reducing the utility of the image forming system to form an image on the paper.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of conventional image forming systems as discussed above by the use of a trailing edge deletion prevention apparatus capable of manipulating the paper to allow components capable of forming the image to travel in proximity to the paper without obstruction.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, a trailing edge deletion prevention apparatus suitable for use with an image forming system is provided, having a paper guide mounted along a paper path and adapted to guide the paper along the paper path and a biasing member mounted to the image forming system and biased against the paper guide along the paper path and allowing a printing device to pass proximate to the biasing member while printing along a trailing edge of the paper.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, a trailing edge deletion prevention apparatus suitable for use with an image forming system is provided, having a paper guide mounted along a paper path and adapted to guide the paper along the paper path and a biasing member mounted to the image forming system and biased against the paper guide to cause the paper to be taut to a location further along the paper path and configured to accommodate a printing device to access a trailing edge of the paper.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, a trailing edge deletion prevention apparatus suitable for use with an image forming system is provided, having an interdigitated support element forming a plane and having a first portion interdigitated with a second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are movable relative to each other within the plane, an attachment device to secure a piece of paper to at least one of the first portion and the second portion, wherein the attachment device is adapted to selectively secure the paper to one of the first portion and the second portion to allow the paper to be advanced along the plane by the relative movement of the first portion and the second portion.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, a method for deleting a trailing edge of a piece of paper processed by an image forming system is provided having the steps of biasing a biasing member against a paper guide, passing a piece of paper between the biasing member and the paper guide such that the piece of paper is taut to a location further along a paper path and locating a printing device proximate to the biasing member and the paper guide to allow an image to be formed along a trailing edge of the paper.